Collaboration among news media outlets is not new, but The Exchange is a new collaborative effort that aims to create business and financial content for underserved communities. It’s a collaboration of local, diverse news media with decades of service to their communities, the Local Media Association (LMA), the Local Media Consortium (LMC) and Deloitte. more

The “gender beat” concept developed less than a decade ago, but it has already evolved significantly since then. While many of the journalists interviewed by Meg Heckman, a journalist, author and educator with Northeastern University, thought the concept of a gender beat should not be necessary, she believes it is a necessary stepping stone in the short term. more

Dave Stevens is the only legless player in sports history to have played NCAA football and minor league baseball. The seven-time Emmy-winning sports journalist is now a motivational speaker and television host as he nears 40 years in broadcasting. While he says the media industry has come a long way in terms of inclusivity, he adds: "we still have a long way to go in this and other aspects of society." more

Distrust between Pittsburgh's diverse communities and the media is a significant problem identified in an American Press Institute pilot program, which implemented an Inclusion Index developed by Letrell Deshan Crittenden, Ph.D. A Jan. 24 event at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh drew media and community members who spoke about improving coverage. more

Countless studies demonstrate that DEI has the potential to increase sales revenue, increase customer base and ultimately increase profits. DEI is not only the right thing to do; it’s good business sense. So, why are we hitting a pause with progress?   more

The Center for Community Media at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism is taking a major step forward in promoting diversity in the media industry with the launch of the Asian Media Initiative. The program, aimed at increasing the representation of Asian Americans in media and journalism, will provide opportunities for students, journalists and aspiring media professionals to gain the skills and resources necessary to succeed in the competitive field of journalism. more

How can white people, which the publisher of this very publication will tell you dominate the traditional media industry channels and gatherings, do more than unwind generations of racism and exploitative coverage — instead, actively contribute to restoring justice and equity? John Heaston says he doesn’t have the answers, but hopes the points in today's column can help. more

Martin Alfaro’s promotion to general manager at AL DÍA­ marked the start of his new year.  “I found a unique space and a huge opportunity,” Alfaro says of his new role. That unique space is the audience AL DÍA captures, and that opportunity he mentioned is creating content that some publications lack. more

There were 25 organized troll campaigns targeting women reporters in the first half of 2020, according to Ms. Magazine. Additionally, the magazine cited 267 attacks and threats, with many mentioning women’s appearance and sexuality, including death and rape warnings. Here are three steps supervisors should be taking to better protect women journalists. more

Nonprofit news collaborations deepen investigative work, amplify quality journalism and connect for-profit news organizations to new funding streams. Lisa Yanick Litwiller, director of audience at the Center for Public Integrity, said collaborations give journalists the resources for the deep work that drew many journalists to the industry in the first place. more

Are you afraid of the perception of others or have some irrational fear of ineptness? Perhaps you’re intimidated or worried that you won’t be able to relate to or have honest conversations with someone who doesn’t look, sound or think as you do. If so, please know that it's simply an illusion. Competency, ambition, hard work, instinct and ability aren’t tethered to gender, ethnicity, age or cultural background. more

Since The Diversity Pledge Institute launched in 2021, it has placed dozens of journalists in newsrooms across the globe — and none of them have quit their jobs yet. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, it can cost a company up to nine months of an employee's salary to replace an employee who quits. However, the business case for diversity extends beyond the costs of recruiting and training. more

Members of the LGBTQ+ community want reporting to reflect reality; the community is diverse, vast and full of positivity. Hanging on to stereotypes can have detrimental implications because the problems faced by those who do not fit that mold are often overlooked. more

Ryan Sorrell and his team at The Kansas City Defender rely on two methods to reach young people. First, they know that each social media platform has a different ethos, so they personalize content for each brand. Second, they have a broad content mix, blending hard news and culture stories with headlines such as “10 Best Black-Owned Restaurants.” more

Promises made in 2020 created headwinds, but not nearly enough of the transformative change we need to see on TV screens, in newspapers, on airwaves and in the rooms where decision-making happens. The bottom line is this: The coverage you provide and the communities you prioritize reflect how you truly embrace diversity. more

For the past few years, there has been an emphasis on increased diversity and inclusion efforts across all industries. Journalism outlets have responded through various avenues: crafting statements of commitment, offering workshops and training, developing source trackers and inclusion indexes and engaging with survey work. However, these initiatives still fall into the same traps that have stifled growth and understanding in this area. more

If Dr. Jelani Cobb could gather everyone into his Columbia University lecture hall, he would speak on journalism’s role in democracy during political turbulence and how journalism came to function in tandem with democracy. “I think that’s a question that has renewed salience,” he said. more

Andrew Ramsammy spends his days on the business side of media doing strategy, partnerships and revenue generation for things like Word In Black and the Knight x LMA BloomLab at the Local Media Association. And, he's usually the lone non-white person in the room.  Business folks, he says, "should get the same attention and support we put into our rallying cry for greater editorial diversity. You can’t have great journalism if you don't have a great business." more

As the publisher and CEO of Afro-American Newspapers, Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper is both a news innovator and a steward of a Baltimore-based family legacy spanning 130 years. Her great-grandfather, John Henry Murphy, started the newspaper 130 years ago with just $200 he borrowed from family members. Today, the Afro-American — or just “The AFRO” — focuses on local news for Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and the suburban-Maryland corridor in between. more

Since the Supreme Court published its opinion reversing Roe v. Wade, the real-world impacts of this decision have been immediate and widespread. But there’s a more insidious impact of this decision that will come to pass over the coming months and years in states that choose to ban abortion: workplace diversity. more